Business

4 Big Gambles That Turned Into Job Offers

Josh Tolan is the CEO of Spark Hire, a video powered hiring network that connects job seekers and employers through video resumes and online interviews. Connect with him and Spark Hire on Facebook and Twitter.

When times get tough, job seekers get creative to stand out from the pack. This certainly isn’t a bad idea, especially when you consider the size of the pack. There are 12.8 million people currently unemployed, and that isn’t even counting passive candidates willing to jump on a new opportunity. Just how do you stand out from such a crowded backdrop to get the job of your dreams?

You might need to take a big gamble for a big reward. With the market out there so tough for job seekers, more and more candidates are turning to non-traditional methods to get noticed. This might mean making a professional video resume or turning your application into a handsome infographic. But maybe even these outside-the-box methods aren’t enough. Sometimes you need to roll the dice in order to really show what you’re made of.

We found some truly wacky and creative job seeking gambles which paid off in paychecks for candidates willing to take a chance.

1. Slap On a Mustache

Have a fake mustache, a web camera and a dream? That’s what job seeker Matthew Epstein had when he created a viral marketing campaign to in attempt to land a job at Google. He created a website (googlepleasehire.me) aimed directly at getting his foot in the door at the search engine giant. Since he was looking for a marketing position with the tech compabt, creating a targeted marketing campaign was a smart, inventive way to go about it.

He also slapped on a fake mustache and created several video resumes as part of the campaign. The fake mustache theme was carried throughout the whole site and campaign, showing Epstein wasn’t just creative but also had a sense of humor. While Epstein didn’t end up landing a job at Google, he did interview with the company, as well as other large tech companies Microsoft and Amazon. He ended up taking a position at a startup called SigFig, making his innovative mustachioed gamble to land a job a success.

2. Buy a Billboard

There’s creating a marketing campaign online, and then there’s buying a gigantic billboard to advertise your candidacy. With the last of his savings, marketing graduate Feilim Mac An Iomaire designed and bought a billboard along a busy road in his native Ireland. On the billboard, Mac An Iomaire begged employers to give him a chance before he was forced to emigrate out of the country to look for work.

His ‘Jobless Paddy’ campaign came at the end of a 10-month search for work with little to show for it. It was a gutsy move and could have just as easily labeled Mac An Iomaire as desperate. Instead the dedication and effort that went into the billboard nabbed him more than 20 interviews and finally two job offers from top marketing agencies in his native Ireland. No emigration required.

3. Reverse the Job Application

Tired of applying for jobs? What if you made an employer apply to have you work at their company? This is just what job seeker Andrew Horner did when he devised his reverse job application. Instead of applying for company after company and waiting to hear back, Horner set up a website advertising himself and what he was looking for in an employer. He formatted the site like a traditional job description and included a form to fill out at the bottom for employers interested in speaking to him about open positions.

Instead of chasing after companies, he decided to let them do the chasing. This was a big gamble, and one that could easily make him look entitled or conceited. Yet the creative flair and outside-the-box thinking landed him several interviews and finally nabbed him a job at a startup. Instead of just waiting by the phone, Horner gambled on flipping the process and was rewarded with a job.

4. Fly Near Social Butterflies

Have you ever heard the saying “It’s who you know” when it comes to finding a great job? Sometimes finding a job is all about who you tweet with. Popular blogger and social media maven Sarah Evans ran an open call on her social media networks to profile a few job seekers on her blog.

Taking a chance, job seeker Mark Edwards tweeted to this social butterfly for a chance at exposure to a greater audience. With more than 50 applications, it was a gamble that Evans would choose him. But choose him she did, turning his little tweet into a full time job at TeshMedia.

It can sometimes feel impossible to find a great job in today’s tough economic climate. Which is why more job seekers are rolling the dice on wacky application methods. These gambles might not pay off for every candidate, but if you tailor your method specifically to your skill set and industry, the odds of getting your phone to ring might just improve.

What do you think of these job seeking gambles? Have you tried anything similar? Share in the comments.

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